City council to decide on renaming Raleigh Road

The issue whether to rename Raleigh Road for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., almost a year old, will be decided at the Lexington City Council meeting Monday night.

BY REBEKAH CANSLER MCGEEThe Dispatch

The issue whether to rename Raleigh Road for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., almost a year old, will be decided at the Lexington City Council meeting Monday night.The desire to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a road being named for him is not a new one. More than six years ago, the city went through a nine-month process of looking at renaming Talbert Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The Lexington Human Relations Commission decided not to recommend the change to the city council after opposition surfaced to changing the name, since it was in honor of Bruce Talbert, a former Lexington police chief.With the election in 2011 of three new council members and a new mayor, the idea to name a road for King resurfaced. The original idea proposed Raleigh Road and Fifth and Sixth streets. Davidson County Emergency Services officials voiced concern about including Fifth and Sixth streets, which are both one-way roads, since it could cause confusion with 911 calls. So the requested street renaming was later amended to just Raleigh Road and Sixth Street. That stretch serves as a main thoroughfare to Lexington Senior high and middle schools. Dr. Keith Curry, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, got behind the issue and organized a walk in March to garner petition signatures and support. "Renaming of the streets is an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a man who emphasized that men and women were created equal," Curry said.Since that time, the council has sought the opinions of citizens along the route as well as others. Some of these citizens have even taken the time to attend city meetings to express their opposition or favor. "Though city council hasn't held the public hearing yet, there is an open opportunity for any citizen to speak under 'petitions from citizens' at each meeting," said Tammy Absher, director of business and community development. "Several times over the past year, citizens have addressed council on this issue to make their feelings known. The same opportunity to address the planning board is made available at each meeting. Again, several times over the course of the year, citizens address the planning board as well to share their opinions concerning the proposed renaming."At three different city council meetings, two citizens addressed the council with concerns while five people spoke in favor of the renaming. At three different planning board meetings, a total of four citizens opposed the renaming while 12 expressed favor.In addition to spearheading the original walk, Curry has continued to gain petition signatures in support of the renaming. The signatures, certified by the city, included 1,179 city residents, 298 Davidson County residents, 42 people residing outside the county and 70 with no location listed. There were approximately 26 businesses and 92 residential units along the route; the in-favor petition includes about 15 households with multiple signatures and three businesses along the route. While the citizens for renaming Raleigh Road to MLK Boulevard became vocal about their position, the opposing side did not reciprocate with the same amount of organization."No petition in opposition was presented to my knowledge," Absher said.In an effort to show its encouragement, the entire Lexington City Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to show its support."As school administration and from a school perspective, we feel like the students who travel Raleigh Road and West Sixth Street to and from the middle and high school each day are taught about Dr. Martin Luther King and his leadership in transforming this country," said Rick Kriesky, superintendent of Lexington City Schools. "Having that thoroughfare named in his honor would not only be a daily reminder of Dr. King but also the movement that he led."The second piece is that the school board felt very strongly about, as educators, we believe that it is incumbent upon us to recognize and live the values that we teach about. From that perspective, it reinforces the characteristics and ideals of Dr. King through modeling that support in our actions."A public hearing will precede the council's vote Monday night. The decision could include an immediate renaming of the road, or it could include a phase-in period where businesses would be allowed a set amount of time to change signage and printed materials."We feel very strongly about this," Kriesky said. "At the same time, the school board strives to be a good neighbor to everyone in the community. While not included in the resolution, we do hope if this renaming takes places, that there are some concessions made for homeowners on those streets to have a grace period to make changes in signage or areas that might be affected." The meeting will start at 7 p.m. Monday at Lexington City Hall, 28 W. Center St.Rebekah Cansler McGee can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 228, or at rebekah.mcgee@the-dispatch.com.

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